1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a product and process for packaging and dispensing neurosurgical sponges in a sterile environment. More particularly, this invention is directed to the packaging of neurosurgical sponges and a method of utilizing that packaging during a surgical procedure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medical sponges, and in particularly neurological sponges, commonly comprise a radio-opaque (x-ray detectable) string attached to an absorbent material, usually cotton. In some sponges, the absorbent material might also be radio-opaque, either in addition to or to the exclusion of the string. Most often, the sponges come in packages of ten. The absorbent part of the neurosurgical sponge is often referred to as a cottonoid by those skilled in the art. Neurological sponges also come without strings.
In the strung sponges, the absorbent material commonly is relatively small, ranging from about xc2xc inch square upward. Most such sponges are less than about 3 inches in length and about 3 inches wide. The strung sponges have attached thereto one or two strings, commonly a textile thread having one of its ends anchored to the absorbent material and the remainder of the string extending from the absorbent material to serve as a locator element. The unstrung sponges most often are larger than the strung sponges, ranging up to 6 inches in length and 3.5 inches in width. These sponges have no depending string attached thereto.
Neurological sponges are employed for absorbing blood and body fluids, but most frequently are saturated with saline or other solution and used to protect tissue or applied to the tip of a suction device for protecting the tissue when suction is applied.
In the course of a surgical procedure, the medical sponges are sterilized and supplied to the operating room table and are usually carefully counted after use. Because absorbent sponges very closely resemble tissue when the sponge is soaked with blood, it is at times difficult to distinguish the small blood-soaked sponge from the surrounding body tissue. Thus, it is common practice to attach to the sponge a locator string, commonly about 12 inches in length, of a textile material, for example, such string being kept at all times outside the surgical incision so that the presence of the sponge may be readily noted through observing the string. The sponges or the strings are usually affixed with radio-opaque material. In the event the count of the sponges following the surgery indicates that one or more of the sponges is missing and a search of the operating room fails to locate the missing sponge, while the patient is still in the operating room, a portable x-ray unit may be brought in and the surgical site x-rayed in an attempt to determine whether the sponge has been left inside the patient.
One of the major problems in the prior art packaging of medical sponges, particularly neurosurgical sponges, has been the ability to present the sponges individually. The problem of presenting the sponges is compounded by the presence of the long locator strings that are attached to the relatively small pads. Heretofore it has been proposed to mount the small sponges on a card with a string from the sponge passing through a slit, thence along one face of the card to engage one or more slits or slots until substantially the entire length of the string has been xe2x80x9cwoundxe2x80x9d onto the card. These prior art packages have been difficult to immobilize or grasp while attempting to remove one of the sponges. In many cases, either the pad portion of the sponge or the string being disposed on the card in a position such that when the user grasps the card, the fingers of the hand contact either the string or the sponge thereby presenting opportunity for compromising the sterility of the sponge. Further, the slits or slots provided in the prior art cards are not efficient in keeping the individual sponges separate. Further, when the sponges are wetted with saline or other solution, the surgical field may also become wet, which further exacerbates the problem of keeping the surgical field sterile and organized. Still further, the set-up time with prior art devices can be significant when the cottonoids must first be carefully separated and wetted before use. A further problem with the prior art devices is that the tail ends of the strings of the several sponges in the package are not anchored and tend to become entangled one with another and/or become entangled with other objects employed in the surgery; such as, forceps, retractors, etc.
In the prior art it has been suggested that several, e.g. ten, sponges be arranged in a stack in or on the packaging. This arrangement has resulted in unacceptable entanglement of the strings in the immediate vicinity of the sponge pads so that withdrawal of a single sponge is further complicated.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a package of strung medical sponges in which the several sponges are mounted individually in the packaging for ready withdrawal at the time of their use. It is another object of the present invention to provide a package of medical sponges in which the cottonoids can be easily wetted without contaminating the surgical field. It is another object to provide a package of strung medical sponges that can be stacked upon each other to preserve the limited horizontal area of the surgical filed and keep the surgical field better organized.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a neuro-cottonoid dispensing device and system is disclosed for packaging and quickly utilizing neurosurgical sponges. The packaging device comprises a tray of plastic or similar disposable material with a trough and a series of channels to accommodate neuro-surgical sponges. The channels keep the radio-opaque strings tangle-free and the cottonoids immediately accessible. The cottonoids rest within the trough. Immediately preceding or during neuro-surgery, the trough can be filled with a wetting solution, usually saline.
A transparent film made of plastic or other suitable material covers the tray and encloses the neurosurgical sponges in a sterile environment. The film also assists in keeping the string within its designated groove or channel along with other means. The bottom of each tray has sections of adhesive material that allow the tray to securely attach to any material in the surgical field, including an instrument table or tray. The neuro-cottonoid dispensing device trays are adapted to stack on top of each other so that when the cottonoids in one tray have been exhausted, another tray can be stacked upon it without reducing the limited, horizontal space of the surgical field. The dimensions of the tray can be sized to accommodate a typical surgical field.
The system to use the packaging device also describes a process for opening the tray in a sterile environment, applying a wetting solution to the cottonoids in the trough, and removing the wetted cottonoids for use in neurosurgery. When all the cottonoids have been removed from a tray, the invention describes a method of stacking a new tray upon the depleted tray. When the neurosurgery is complete, the invention also describes a method of disposing the trays.